Small-sized, individually quick frozen meat product portions are used in restaurants and prepared food service businesses for such applications as toppings for pizza or as ingredients for calzones and meat pies. Meat product portions for use in these applications are typically provided in the form of either raw meat portions or pre-cooked portions.
Precooked products having an irregular appearance, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,094, have the advantage of being capable of careful portion control and reduced likelihood of contamination. Those precooked products attempt to simulate the taste, appearance and overall effect that raw, uncooked product portions would have.
Raw or uncooked portions usually exhibit superior flavor and texture when cooked. They hold juices better and they hold moisture after freezing, thawing and cooking better than pre-cooked, frozen portions do. They arc generally more effective compared to pre-cooked portions. As noted above, pre-cooked portions, on the other hand, provide superior handling, portion control, low-waste, high yield and low shrinkage characteristics. Unlike raw portions, pre-cooked portions can be supplied in individual frozen pieces that are immediately separable for handling because they hold their shape and do not stick to each other. In contrast, raw meat product portions tend to agglomerate and generally cannot be formed into or handled as separate portions until after thawing. Raw meat product also produces waste, as loose, sticky particles adhere to tools and work surfaces. Pre-cooked meat portions provide the benefit of being able to easily and quickly handle and measure predetermined quantities for assembling food products, whether in frozen or thawed state, without the associated waste or need to thaw that raw meat involves. Pre-cooked meat portions are also less susceptible to cross-contamination than raw meat products by various microorganisms during meal preparation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a meat product and method of preparing the same that combine the benefits of both uncooked and pre-cooked meat products, while avoiding the respective shortcomings of each. It is a further object to provide a product and associated method that provide a good balance of flavor, texture and cost-effectiveness typically associated with raw meats. It is still a further object to provide a product and associated method that permits optimum handling and portion control, low waste production, high yield and low shrinkage typically associated with pre-cooked meats.